Improve Your Piano Playing
by John Meffen
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Book Summary Information
Author: John MeffenEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-05-01
ISBN: 1581154763
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Allworth Press
Book Reviews of Improve Your Piano Playing
Book Review: A Jaunty, Witty, Exceptionally Useful Guide for Pianists
Summary: 5 Stars
There are many of us who studied piano and played well for years only to gradually diminish practice time until poor habits distort what comes from the keyboard to the ear, frustrating a return to past abilities. The brief but very informative 'manual', IMPROVE YOUR PIANO PLAYING by Dr. John Meffen, a noted British pianist, musicologist, teacher and conductor, offers one of the most sound collections of information that will most assuredly restore faith in shy pianists by producing what the title states.
Dr. Meffen is a realistic teacher, a man who gets to the core of his subject, giving a refresher course on the construction of the piano that is mandatory to understanding the clues to improving performance practices. He then details the common mistakes pianists make - repeating mistakes without analyzing why they are being made, substituting speed for correct technique and offers sound methods to improve these areas. Each section is followed by a list of questions for the reader/pianist: this is not an exam but rather a guide to diagnosing personal problems with fingering, phrasing, pedaling, and interpretation of composer's works. All of this is done with a style of writing that can only be called 'user-friendly' as well as user-supportive: Dr. Meffen keeps the tone light but strict, seeming to have little time for the lazy pianist who is reading his book for a quick fix. The book is written for those who already have some degree of proficiency with the piano, and like any good teacher Dr. Meffen takes a no-nonsense approach to guiding the 'once-upon-a-time-pianist' back to the pleasures of playing well again.
The proof of the pudding is in the application of his principles and advice. Note: it works! Highly Recommended for those avoiding the once loved keyboard. Grady Harp, May 07
Summary of Improve Your Piano Playing
With simplified and tested techniques, the time has come to take your playing skills to the next level!
Sure, you play the piano?about as well as you played when your piano teacher, Mrs. Rosenberg, retired in 1979. Now the time has come to take your playing skills to the next level with Improve Your Piano Playing. Techniques are explained clearly so that anyone who already plays for personal pleasure or performance can eliminate recurring mistakes and master the art of workable fingering, expressive touch, phrasing, tone production, and pedaling. Through a structured process of practice, learning new pieces is made simple?the techniques focus on correcting frequent mistakes, dealing with tricky passages, and interpretation. A section on pianos and how they work contains information every musician should know. Mrs. Rosenberg is gone now, but you can still make her proud?with Improve Your Piano Playing. 16 B&W IllustrationsInstruments & Performers Books
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